“We see it as dropping two points. We knew Stoke had a good record at home. We knew it was going to be difficult. But given the circumstances, when you have a couple of shots cleared off the line, you feel it’s not going to be your day so when you get an equalizer that late, you have to take it and move forward.”

Martinez admitted second-half doubt that Everton could find a draw, especially after Kevin Mirallas hit the woodwork twice during the match.

“It was a difficult game. Once we went 1-0 down in the second half, it seemed we weren’t going to find a little break we needed.”

“I thought we showed enough threat to at least find a draw. I the penalty arrives late but we had a couple of shots that hit the crossbar. That first goal was going to be vital. I thought whoever scored first would win but we showed character and never-die-attitude and got the reward at the end.